Regulatory Reform in Practice Summit 2026

Speaker line-up

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Panel Discussion
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Adam Fennessy PSM

Public Sector Leader, CEO, NED and Advisor

Adam Slater

Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network (AELERT)

Aggie Marek

Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Operations
Anti-Dumping Commission

Alistair McKay

Director of Strategy, Policy and Performance
Anti-Dumping Commission

Andrea Fox

Executive Director, Policy and Workplace Services (PWS)
The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland & Electrical Safety Regulators, Office of Industrial Relations

Angelo Lambrinos

Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner
Queensland Building and Construction Commission

Anna Cronin

Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner
Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC)

Daniel Mossop

National Manager, Policy, Rules and Guidance
AUSTRAC

Dr Anuj Saraogi

Executive Director, Enterprise ICT
Department of Health and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (VIC)

Dr Lorraine Cherney

Director & Consultant
Regulation & Policy Impact Consultants (RP Impact)

Dr Sandra Cuthbert

Chief Executive Officer
Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Dung Nguyen

Head of the National Regulators Community of Practice
Australia & New Zealand School of Government

Eliot Palmer

Head of Regulatory Strategy & Practice, Transformation Office
Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC)

Emma Rosenzweig

Deputy Commissioner, Payday Super Program
Australian Taxation Office (ATO)

Grainne Moss

Chief Executive
Ministry for Regulation (NZ)

Hassan Raisianzadeh

Director, Safety and Regulatory Insights
Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator

John Bradley

Chief Executive Officer
National Environmental Protection Agency

John Evangelista

Director – Traineeship and Apprenticeship Services
Office of the South Australian Skills Commission

Karen Najjar

Assistant Secretary, New Vehicle Efficiency Standards Regulator
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Kelly Wood

Assistant Secretary, Regulatory Foundations
Department of Finance

Kerry Leaver

Consultant
Kerry Leaver Consulting

Lauren White

Executive General Manager, Consumer and Fair Trading Division
ACCC

Liz Hefren-Webb

Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Marcus Brims

a/Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Regulation, Strategy and Technology
Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office

Niels Bunte

National Manager - Regulatory Services
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)

Piet Powell

Assistant Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Professor Alex Robson

Deputy Chair
Productivity Commission

Rachael Jackson

Chief Operating Officer
National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA)

Robyn Pearce

Executive Director - Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
Department of Justice (TAS)

Shane Worthington

Chief Digital Officer
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Sharife Rahmani

Chief Regulatory Officer
Coal LSL

Skye Bowie

Independent Practitioner on governance and regulatory reform

Sue Woodward AM

Commissioner
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)

Tess Cole-Adams

Executive Director, Environmental Regulation
Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (NT)

Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (NT)-1

Vanessa Douglas-Savage

Branch Manager, Australian Government Architecture and Policy
Digital Transformation Agency

Veronica Taylor

Professor - School of Regulation and Global Governance
Australian National University (ANU)

Dr Lorraine Cherney

Director & Consultant
Regulation & Policy Impact Consultants (RP Impact)

Dr Lorraine Cherney is an accomplished regulatory expert and educator with over two decades’ experience in public sector governance, higher education and research. She holds a PhD from the University of Queensland, focused on the design and implementation of gambling regulations.

Lorraine has held senior positions in regulation at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) where she designed flagship professional development programs, educational webinars and events for regulators and was lead author on The Professional Regulator program.

She has also held senior policy and research positions in the Queensland Government, where she shaped responsible-gambling strategies and stakeholder engagement models, including engagement around voluntary codes of practice, and held research positions at Southern Cross University (SCU) and the Australian National University (ANU). Lorraine is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, where she mentors postgraduate scholars and works to bridge the academic-practitioner gap.

Lorraine’s career is grounded in the creation of public value, guided by a strong sense of public purpose. Her published work spans regulatory practice and theory, analysis of gambling environments and vulnerable populations, evaluations of intervention programs and professional development for regulators. In 2025, she launched Regulation & Policy Impact Consultants, a team specialising in policy, regulation, higher education and research expertise.

Speaking at

08:50

Opening Remarks from the Chair

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

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Panel Discussion

13:40

Panel discussion: How is technology being used to modernise regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Vanessa Douglas-Savage,

Shane Worthington,

Dr Anuj Saraogi,

Skye Bowie,

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Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: The Professional Regulator: Building cross-sector capability for reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Piet Powell,

Dung Nguyen,

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Roundtable Discussions

16:10

Roundtable Discussions

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

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Masterclass

09:00

Masterclass A: Regulatory reform: challenges and tensions

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Skye Bowie,

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Kelly Wood

Assistant Secretary, Regulatory Foundations
Department of Finance

Kelly is a thought leader in whole-of-government regulatory policy, practice and performance. In her role, Kelly is modernising Australian Government regulation through a framework for fit-for-purpose regulation that empowers regulators and policymakers to continuously adapt to emerging opportunities and risks throughout the regulatory lifecycle. Kelly is the Australian delegate to the OECD Regulatory Policy Committee and chairs the International Regulatory Cooperation subcommittee. Ms Wood held leadership positions in the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and Office of the National Data Commissioner and has 20 years' experience designing and delivering major regulatory reforms.

Kelly is Champion for the Department of Finance's Pride Network and part of community.
Senior representative for the Territories Stolen Generation Redress Scheme

Speaking at

09:00

What is the current shape of regulatory reform today?

Speaker Speakers

Kelly Wood,

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Professor Alex Robson

Deputy Chair
Productivity Commission

Alex Robson commenced a 5-year term as a full time Commissioner and Deputy Chair of the Productivity Commission in March 2022.

Professor Robson has a broad range of experience in academia and the public and private sectors, most recently as Associate Partner at EY (Ernst and Young).

Prior to that, Professor Robson served as Australia’s Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

He also served as Senior Economic Adviser and Chief Economist to the former Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull, and has held a number of other positions, including Managing Director at FTI Consulting; Director at Deloitte Access Economics; Director of the Economic Policy Analysis Program at Griffith University; Lecturer in Economics at the Australian National University; and as a graduate economist at the Commonwealth Treasury in Canberra.

Professor Robson’s teaching and research has been in the fields of advanced microeconomics, game theory, public economics and public choice, law and economics, and macroeconomics.

Professor Robson holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) from James Cook University and a Master of Arts and PhD in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, USA. His research has been published in several international journals, including Economic Theory, Public Choice, the Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance, and Economic Modelling. His law and economics book, Law and Markets, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2012.

In addition to his role of Deputy Chair, Professor Robson is also working on GST distribution reforms.

Professor Robson leads the Productivity stream of work and co-leads the Industry and Trade stream of work at the PC.

Speaking at

09:30

What does the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Act & Productivity Commission’s five pillar report mean in practice

Speaker Speakers

Professor Alex Robson,

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Aggie Marek

Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Operations
Anti-Dumping Commission

Agnieszka (Aggie) Marek is Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Operations at the Anti-Dumping Commission, where she leads strategy, policy, performance, market intelligence, data and analytics, stakeholder engagement, and organisational capability. She is currently leading major regulatory and operational reform initiatives, including modernisation of Australia’s trade remedies system and the transfer of the safeguards function to the Commission.

Aggie has more than 20 years’ experience in regulation, investigations, competition, compliance, enforcement and regulatory reform. Before joining the Commission, she held a range of senior leadership roles at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, including Executive Director, Merger Investigations, where she led complex national investigations and contributed to significant regulatory reform initiatives.

Known for her practical, intelligence-led and evidence-based approach, Aggie is passionate about regulatory effectiveness, continuous improvement, and building modern regulators that deliver strong outcomes for government, industry and the community.

Speaking at

Case study

10:00

Case study: What the Anti-Dumping Commission's consolidation teaches regulators about delivering reform while it's still bedding in

Speaker Speakers

Aggie Marek,

Alistair McKay,

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Alistair McKay

Director of Strategy, Policy and Performance
Anti-Dumping Commission

Alistair McKay is Director, Strategy, Policy and Performance at the Anti-Dumping Commission, where he leads delivery of corporate strategy and business planning, performance monitoring and reporting, and operational policy and advice. 

Alistair has 15 years’ experience in advisory, commercial and operational roles across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the UK.  Before joining the Commission, he held leadership roles at HM Treasury in the Strategy, Planning and Budget Group. During his 6 years at the Treasury, he undertook a range of strategic projects with UK regulators including the Competition and Markets Authority, Prudential Regulation Authority, Financial Conduct Authority, and Payment Systems Regulator.  

Known for bringing a collaborative, strategic and evidence-led approach, Alistair has a strong commitment to achieving excellence in public service delivery, alongside a genuine passion for building high-performing teams.

Speaking at

Case study

10:00

Case study: What the Anti-Dumping Commission's consolidation teaches regulators about delivering reform while it's still bedding in

Speaker Speakers

Aggie Marek,

Alistair McKay,

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Adam Fennessy PSM

Public Sector Leader, CEO, NED and Advisor

Adam Fennessy PSM has nearly 30 years of public sector experience at federal and state levels. Adam commenced on 1 January 2026 as the interim Regulator, Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority. Prior to this role, Adam has served as the Secretary (CEO) of the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2023-2025), and for four years as Secretary (CEO) of the Victorian Department of Environment & Primary Industries and the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (2013-2017).

Adam was the Victorian Public Sector Commissioner in 2020-2022 and the Dean & CEO of the Australia & New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) in 2023. Adam has worked in the private sector as a partner with global advisory firm Ernst & Young (EY).

Adam has served on several boards including Infrastructure Victoria and the Victorian and ACT Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) boards.

Adam is an IPAA National Fellow and an Honorary Life Member of IPAA Victoria. In 2018, he received a Public Service Medal (PSM) for leadership in the Victorian public sector.

Speaking at

11:10

What good reform does (and doesn’t) look like

Speaker Speakers

Adam Fennessy PSM,

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Tess Cole-Adams

Executive Director, Environmental Regulation
Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (NT)

Tess Cole-Adams is the Executive Director Environmental Regulation with the Northern Territory Department of Lands, Planning and Environment, where she leads environmental regulatory policy, licensing and compliance functions. She has more than a decade of experience spanning environmental regulation and First Nations land rights, having worked across both Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments.

Prior to returning to the Northern Territory Government, Tess worked with the Australian Government on national environmental law reform through the EPBC Act Taskforce. She has also held senior regulatory roles in the Northern Territory and began her career as a lawyer representing Traditional Owners across the Northern Territory, negotiating outcomes on major resource and infrastructure projects.

Tess is passionate about building trusted, proportionate and effective regulators that support environmental protection while enabling sustainable development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice.

Speaking at

11:40

Building anticipatory capability to navigate changing regulatory landscapes

Speaker Speakers

Tess Cole-Adams,

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Angelo Lambrinos

Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner
Queensland Building and Construction Commission

Angelo Lambrinos is a results-driven executive leader and chartered professional engineer with extensive experience transforming organisational performance through strategic leadership. With more than 25 years’ experience working across diverse industries including construction, financial services and operations – Angelo has led large-scale transformation initiatives that have enhanced service responsiveness, increased customer satisfaction, and achieved reform for major infrastructure, corporate and asset intensive portfolios.

Renowned for his visionary leadership, innovation and data-informed decision-making, Angelo has a proven ability to empower high-performing teams and align business goals with practical solutions that promote excellence and achieve customer-focused outcomes.

Furthermore, his commercial acumen, disciplined approach to risk and governance, and commitment to cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, promotes sustained growth and long-term success.

Speaking at

Case study

13:10

Case study: The case for acting early: navigating emerging risks before the evidence arrives

Speaker Speakers

Angelo Lambrinos,

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Vanessa Douglas-Savage

Branch Manager, Australian Government Architecture and Policy
Digital Transformation Agency

Vanessa Douglas-Savage is a strategic leader with over two decades of experience driving digital transformation and policy innovation. Her strength lies in simplifying complexity and crafting solutions that enable progress for all stakeholders.

Vanessa leads high-performing teams to deliver forward-thinking digital strategies, governance frameworks, and enterprise architecture instruments across all aspects of digital. She is a trusted advisor to senior decision-makers, providing insights that shape digital investment priorities and improve sector-wide performance.

Vanessa has led work to deliver new digital investment governance models, overseen multimillion-dollar digital programs, and provided assurance across a wide range of initiatives to meet critical timeframes, outcomes, and budgets. She is known for her ability to assess and guide technology programs through uncertainty, fostering collaborative, outcomes-focused relationships across government and industry.

Vanessa has experience in both private and public sector organisations, recently joining the Australian Public Service from the Queensland Government. She holds a PhD from Griffith University and remains passionate about the potential of technology to improve everyday life.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:40

Panel discussion: How is technology being used to modernise regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Vanessa Douglas-Savage,

Shane Worthington,

Dr Anuj Saraogi,

Skye Bowie,

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Shane Worthington

Chief Digital Officer
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Shane is the Chief Digital Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), where he leads digital transformation initiatives that strengthen regulatory ffectiveness across Australia’s vocational education and training sector.  With extensive experience delivering complex technology, data and business transformation programs across the Australian Public Service, Shane specialises in applying digital capabilities to improve compliance, risk-based regulation, operational efficiency and stakeholder experience.

Combining expertise in digital strategy, service design and operating model transformation with strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills, Shane has successfully delivered reform outcomes that enable regulators to make better-informed decisions and respond to emerging challenges in increasingly complex environments. His focus is on harnessing technology and data to support contemporary, intelligence-led regulation that protects public trust while reducing regulatory burden where appropriate.

Shane brings more than 15 years of digital leadership experience, supported by a Master of Business Administration (Digital Transformation) and postgraduate qualifications in leadership and public sector management.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:40

Panel discussion: How is technology being used to modernise regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Vanessa Douglas-Savage,

Shane Worthington,

Dr Anuj Saraogi,

Skye Bowie,

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Dr Anuj Saraogi

Executive Director, Enterprise ICT
Department of Health and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (VIC)

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:40

Panel discussion: How is technology being used to modernise regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Vanessa Douglas-Savage,

Shane Worthington,

Dr Anuj Saraogi,

Skye Bowie,

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Skye Bowie

Independent Practitioner on governance and regulatory reform

Skye Bowie is a lawyer and Non-Executive Director with over 23 years of leadership across financial services and regulatory settings. She is the co-founder of CAREC Solutions, translating complex policy and compliance challenges into practical, future-focused solutions.

Earlier in her career she shaped financial services policy in superannuation and insurance. Most recently as Commissioner & Chief Regulator of a Statutory Body, she led regulatory reform across a $52 billion industry and implemented transformational AI-driven intelligence programs.

Skye brings a frank perspective on building a career spanning the policy, legal and corporate worlds.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:40

Panel discussion: How is technology being used to modernise regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Vanessa Douglas-Savage,

Shane Worthington,

Dr Anuj Saraogi,

Skye Bowie,

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Masterclass

09:00

Masterclass A: Regulatory reform: challenges and tensions

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Skye Bowie,

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Emma Rosenzweig

Deputy Commissioner, Payday Super Program
Australian Taxation Office (ATO)

Emma Rosenzweig is the Deputy Commissioner and Senior Accountable Officer for the Payday Super Program, within the Australian Taxation Office.

Emma is responsible for delivering this transformational program, which will result in greater certainty that the superannuation entitlements of millions of people are paid correctly and on time.

Emma has worked for the ATO for over 25 years in a range of roles across nearly all areas of the organisation, including client engagement roles focused on small business and employers, law roles including the design and drafting of legislation, and leadership of the ATO’s service strategy design and implementation.

Emma holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Tax.

Speaking at

Case study

14:30

Case study: What the ATO's Payday Super rollout can teach regulators about redesigning compliance at national scale

Speaker Speakers

Emma Rosenzweig,

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Piet Powell

Assistant Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: The Professional Regulator: Building cross-sector capability for reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Piet Powell,

Dung Nguyen,

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Dung Nguyen

Head of the National Regulators Community of Practice
Australia & New Zealand School of Government

Dung Nguyen is the Head of the National Regulators Community of Practice (NRCoP) at the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), where she drives an ambitious program of events, forums and capability-uplift activities connecting regulatory practitioners across Australia. She brings more than 15 years' experience spanning regulatory transformation, strategy, sustainability and organisational change across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, with a particular focus on translating complex policy and regulatory frameworks into practical, outcomes-focused reform.

Before joining ANZSOG, Dung held senior roles at the Environment Protection Authority Victoria, Sustainability Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, including as Director of Regulatory Practice Reform at the Earth Resources Regulator, where she led the transformation to a modern, risk-based regulator. Her career combines an engineering background with consultancy experience developing strategy alongside boards and executives, and deep expertise in regulatory reforms, ESG and circular economy policy, and stakeholder relations. A Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course (GAICD), she also chairs the Committee of Management of Reynard Street Neighbourhood House, and is committed to integrity, equity and social justice informed by her lived experience as a migrant and refugee.

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: The Professional Regulator: Building cross-sector capability for reform

Speaker Speakers

Dr Lorraine Cherney,

Piet Powell,

Dung Nguyen,

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Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: Are we doing the community a disservice by raising expectations which can't be regulated?

Speaker Speakers

Dung Nguyen,

John Evangelista,

Dr Sandra Cuthbert,

Sue Woodward AM,

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Hassan Raisianzadeh

Director, Safety and Regulatory Insights
Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator

Hassan Raisianzadeh has spent 25 years at the forefront of turning safety data into regulatory intelligence across Australia's transport and public sectors. As Director of Information at the NSW Centre for Road Safety, he led one of the country's most ambitious safety data initiatives: a complex, multi-year data-linkage program joining multiple datasets into a single evidence base for providing a 360-degree view of road trauma in NSW. That work established a durable model for identifying where harm concentrates to inform interventions that reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

Hassan now leads Safety & Regulatory Insights at ONRSR, where he is driving the organisation's transition to intelligence-led, risk-based regulation – building the data governance, advanced analytics and risk modelling capability needed to anticipate risk across the national rail network and inform regulatory decisions to support safe rail operations.

Speaking at

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable 1: Sharing approaches to gathering risk intelligence and acting on the data that tells you where harm is heading

Speaker Speakers

Hassan Raisianzadeh,

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Veronica Taylor

Professor - School of Regulation and Global Governance
Australian National University (ANU)

Veronica L. Taylor is a socio-legal scholar of comparative law and regulation. She is internationally known for her work on Asian legal systems, legal actors and rule of law promotion. Within Australia she has contributed new thinking on professionalizing regualtory practice and evaluating regulatory impact. 

 Since 2021 she has been an expert advisor to the Australian government's regulatory reform team  Department of Finance) and academic advisor to the National Regulators' Community of Practice (NRCoP). She led the development of RegValue 1.0, a new tool for evaluating regulatory impact through measuring value as well as burden.

She is currently a Chief Investigator in the Radiation Innovation Centre (RadInnovate), an ARC and industry-funded research training centre. She leads the pillar focussing on the regulation and social legitimacy of new uses of nuclear materials and technologies.

In Asian Law, her work includes empirical and comparative studies of contracts, competition, corporate governance and criminal justice (Japan and Indonesia); legal pluralism (Afghanistan, Indonesia, Philippines) and legal education, universities and research systems (Afghanistan, Indonesia, Myanmar).

Her work draws on 30 years’ professional experience as a designer and implementer of legal reform for international and bilateral aid programmes in 15 countries. The normative core of her work is how to transform legal networks and institutions in ways that are effective and just, while making powerful actors more accountable.

Veronica served several terms as Director of the ANU Japan Institute and as an ANU Public Policy Fellow. She was a non-Executive Director of ANU Enterprise (2020-24) and its subsidiary, the Social Research Centre (2022-24).

She has been a non-executive Directo of the Australia-Japan Innovation Fund (AJIF) (2015-2026) and is a non-Executive Director of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee (AJBCC). 

She was previously a founder and co-convenor of the Australian Law and Justice Development Community of Practice, in partnership with DFAT and Deputy Chair of the Australian goverment's Australia-Japan Foundation.

Over the course of her teaching career, Veronica has supervised more than 40 PhD, Masters and Honours-level research projects. Between 2018-23 she was a Visiting Professor in Law at the University of Tokyo.

At ANU she designed the postgraduate education programs in regulation and governance and (from 2025) the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Security and Safeguards.  Between 2013-2022 she was the the national coach for Team Australia, an experiential learning program in bilingual negotiation and dispute resolution in the  Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (INC)(Tokyo).

Veronica Taylor joined ANU in 2010 as Director of the Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet) (2010-2014) (now the School of Regulation and Global Governance) and served as Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific (2014-2016). Prior to joining ANU, she was Director of the Asian Law Center at the University of Washington, Seattle. She received the Japanese Foreign Minister's Citation in 2017.

Speaking at

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable 2: What compliance metrics regulators measure, and how to prove your scheme is working beyond activity counts

Speaker Speakers

Veronica Taylor,

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Niels Bunte

National Manager - Regulatory Services
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)

Speaking at

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable 3: Comparing how regulators structure graduated, defensible enforcement postures

Speaker Speakers

Niels Bunte,

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Robyn Pearce

Executive Director - Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
Department of Justice (TAS)

Speaking at

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable 4: Swapping lessons on internal change management to bring the regulated community along

Speaker Speakers

Robyn Pearce,

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Andrea Fox

Executive Director, Policy and Workplace Services (PWS)
The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland & Electrical Safety Regulators, Office of Industrial Relations

Andrea's career has spanned the public sector in Queensland, as well as working for a non-government organisation and teaching in the university sector. Andrea is genuinely committed to the principles of collaborative policy design, knowing that enduring and effective policy solutions are only devised when crafted with those effected by them. She has policy making experience working with a diverse range of industries including work health and safety, industrial relations, transport, energy, natural resources and child protection reform.

Since 2017, Andrea has focused on work health and safety. She is the Queensland member of Safe Work Australia, where she contributes to the national development of work health and safety policy. Andrea has also chaired a number of tripartite steering groups for collaborative policy development and regulation setting across construction, agriculture and psychosocial hazards.

Speaking at

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable 5: Transformation and upskilling: building the regulatory workforce that reform depends on

Speaker Speakers

Andrea Fox,

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Adam Slater

Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators Network (AELERT)

Adam Slater joins AELERT with extensive experience in regulatory policy, environmental governance and professional development. He previously directed The Professional Regulator program, a respected capability‑building initiative delivered by ANZSOG, RegNet and the National Regulators Community of Practice (NRCoP)

Adam has held strategic regulatory roles within the New Zealand Government, spanning the Ministry for Regulation, the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries. His expertise includes regulatory design, impact analysis and cross‑sector collaboration and also serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s School of Regulation and Global Governance.

Adam brings deep insight into regulatory systems across Australia and New Zealand and is committed to strengthening AELERT as a collaborative, innovative and sustainable network that supports capable, connected regulators across Australasia.

Speaking at

08:50

Opening Remarks from the Chair

Speaker Speakers

Adam Slater,

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Panel Discussion

16:10

Panel discussion: Streamlining reform processes and identifying pinch points that are holding up regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Adam Slater,

Rachael Jackson,

Karen Najjar,

Marcus Brims,

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Grainne Moss

Chief Executive
Ministry for Regulation (NZ)

Gráinne was appointed to the role of Chief Executive and Secretary for Regulation on 18 September 2024, for a five-year term. 

Prior to her role as Chief Executive and Secretary for Regulation (Establishment) with the Ministry, she was Chief Executive and System Lead Pay Equity at Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission.

She served as the first Secretary of Children and Chief Executive Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children. She was previously Managing Director of Bupa Care Services NZ.

Gráinne holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Liverpool and worked in the UK National Health Service prior to emigrating to New Zealand in 1998. Gráinne was awarded an MBA (Hons) in 2003 from IMD Switzerland and was presented with the Gillian Welshe Award for outstanding female graduate.

Speaking at

09:30

International Keynote: Regulatory stewardship as a statutory responsibility: what Australia can learn from New Zealand's model

Speaker Speakers

Grainne Moss,

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Sharife Rahmani

Chief Regulatory Officer
Coal LSL

Sharife has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services and regulation. Sharife has led functions spanning strategy, transformation, operations, risk, governance and regulation. Sharife holds qualifications in economics, commerce, statistics and public administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Sharife joined Coal LSL in February 2022 to lead the Regulation division, stewarding the continued development of Coal LSL’s regulatory capabilities.

Speaking at

Case study

10:00

Case study: From uncertainty to reform: The Coal LSL Amendment Act 2026

Speaker Speakers

Sharife Rahmani,

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Anna Cronin

Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner
Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC)

Anna Cronin is the Commissioner and CEO of the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC). Under her leadership, the BPC has undergone a major transformation, establishing a more integrated and consumer-focused regulator while delivering significant reforms to strengthen building quality, enhance regulatory oversight and improve outcomes for Victorians.

After graduating in Economics from the ANU, over the course of her career as an economist, industry leader and senior bureaucrat, Anna gained extensive experience in leadership, policy development and public administration. She has led work in mining and major project approvals; taxation; international trade; and planning and building.

In 2015, Anna was appointed Victoria’s inaugural Commissioner for Better Regulation, leading Victorian Government initiatives to improve regulatory performance.

Recognised as a leading authority on regulatory and building system reform, Anna chaired the Victorian Government’s Expert Panel on Building Reform. The Panel’s recommendations laid the foundation for a comprehensive program of reforms to Victoria’s building system.

Speaking at

11:00

In Conversation With: Delivering regulatory transformation in practice

Speaker Speakers

Anna Cronin,

Eliot Palmer,

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Eliot Palmer

Head of Regulatory Strategy & Practice, Transformation Office
Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC)

Eliot Palmer is a regulatory specialist, facilitator and public sector leader who helps policy-makers and regulators to improve the design and delivery of the law. Eliot has worked for two decades in state and local government regulatory settings. He has led diverse regulatory policy and practice reforms, drawing on significant experience in organisational transformation and change. Eliot has developed major regulatory frameworks including the acclaimed Towards Best Practice Guide for regulators, guidance on licensing and regulatory evaluation, the Victorian Guide to Regulation, and multiple compliance policies and regulatory strategies.

In his roles he has developed reform programs, delivered health checks for Victorian regulators, and was central to generational reform and implementation of Victoria’s environmental laws.

Eliot holds an Executive Master of Public Administration and a Master in Sound Art.

Speaking at

11:00

In Conversation With: Delivering regulatory transformation in practice

Speaker Speakers

Anna Cronin,

Eliot Palmer,

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13:00

Building the machinery of change: How a transformation office drives enterprise reform inside a regulator

Speaker Speakers

Eliot Palmer,

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Liz Hefren-Webb

Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Liz is the Commissioner for Aged Care Quality and Safety, with responsibility for regulation of Commonwealth funded aged care services. She has led social policy initiatives across the Commonwealth for 30 years. Prior to becoming Commissioner in January 2025, Liz was Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet where she drove reforms to major social policy systems such as aged and disability care, Medicare, and education. She was previously Deputy Secretary in the Department of Social Services where she had responsibility for policy and programs that supported disadvantaged communities, families and children and that promoted family safety, as well as the National Redress Scheme for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse.

Speaking at

Case study

11:30

Case study: Deep diving into the aged care and safety quality reforms

Speaker Speakers

Liz Hefren-Webb,

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Daniel Mossop

National Manager, Policy, Rules and Guidance
AUSTRAC

Dan Mossop is the National Manager of the Policy Rules and Guidance Branch at AUSTRAC leading the reform process to the AML/CTF Rules and guidance. Dan has worked for two decades across government on transnational crime issues including corruption, fraud, and international extradition and has worked extensively on AML and CTF issues. He has lead Australia's representation at both the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the Financial Action Task Force which sets global standards for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.

Speaking at

Case study

13:30

Case Study: How Australia's anti-money laundering reforms extended a compliance framework to previously unregulated sectors

Speaker Speakers

Daniel Mossop,

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John Bradley

Chief Executive Officer
National Environmental Protection Agency

John has over 25 years’ senior leadership experience driving major reforms across environment regulation, water, energy, climate and planning. He served for 8 years as Secretary of Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. In this role he led significant reforms to environmental regulation, planning systems, climate policy and natural resource management.

Previously, John was Director General of Queensland’s Department of Environment and Resource Management. He was also CEO of the Queensland Water Commission, where he led water security and drought response during the Millennium Drought. He has also held senior roles across energy and infrastructure, including CEO of Energy Networks Australia.

John has served on a range of boards. These including Infrastructure Victoria, Greening Australia and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. He was also President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia Victorian Division (IPAA Victoria) from 2020 to 2024. He received the Public Service Medal in 2022 and was appointed a National Fellow of IPAA in 2025.

Speaking at

Case study

14:00

Case studies: Navigating the overhaul of federal environmental law: what regulators can learn from the biggest rewrite in a generation

Speaker Speakers

John Bradley,

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Lauren White

Executive General Manager, Consumer and Fair Trading Division
ACCC

Lauren White is the Executive General Manager Consumer and Fair Trading at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and leads the ACCC’s Sustainability Taskforce. She has previously headed the ACCC’s Consumer Data Right Division and led the Consumer Product Safety Risk Assessment and Operations Branch, where she oversaw national responses to emerging safety risks and major enforcement matters.

Lauren has deep experience across consumer protection, enforcement, and product safety. Across her career, Lauren has played a key role in significant investigations, litigation, and policy initiatives, and is passionate about strengthening consumer protections and delivering practical outcomes for Australians.

Lauren holds degrees in Commerce and Law, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and a Masters of Management.

Speaking at

Case study

15:00

Case study: Twelve months to make an open-ended law workable: inside the ACCC's unfair trading practices runway

Speaker Speakers

Lauren White,

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John Evangelista

Director – Traineeship and Apprenticeship Services
Office of the South Australian Skills Commission

John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of South Australia and has achieved the status of Fellow with CPA Australia. He also is a graduate of the Company Directors Course.

With over 30 years of experience in government and non-government environments, John has worked across a broad range of areas including finance, retail, transport and logistics, contract administration, and regulation and compliance. Over this period, John has held several senior management and executive leadership roles, including his current role of Director Traineeship and Apprenticeship Services at the South Australian Skills Commission where he is responsible for the regulation of the South Australian VET sector.

John is an experienced executive, having worked in general management of mid to large size teams, product development, business operations, corporate services and strategy. These roles have given John a deep understanding of regulatory reform, and he is committed to leveraging these skills for the people of South Australia.

In previous roles he has served in key leadership positions which have primarily been focused on improving profitability and productivity, while also working closely with business partners to evaluate new investment opportunities.

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: Are we doing the community a disservice by raising expectations which can't be regulated?

Speaker Speakers

Dung Nguyen,

John Evangelista,

Dr Sandra Cuthbert,

Sue Woodward AM,

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Dr Sandra Cuthbert

Chief Executive Officer
Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Dr Sandra Cuthbert was appointed Chief Executive Officer of FSANZ on 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2027.

Sandra has extensive leadership, policy, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement experience across the public and private sectors. She has held senior roles with the Australian Government departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Finance and Agriculture and Water Resources, as well as Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).  

Sandra brings a practical understanding of the complex environment that FSANZ operates within, drawing on her experience managing the agency's stakeholder engagement, corporate and food safety functions between 2018 and 2021. She has a reputation for delivering outcomes on complex and time critical projects, most recently as the Assistant Secretary, Commonwealth-State Relations at PM&C. 

Sandra has post graduate qualifications in science and law and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: Are we doing the community a disservice by raising expectations which can't be regulated?

Speaker Speakers

Dung Nguyen,

John Evangelista,

Dr Sandra Cuthbert,

Sue Woodward AM,

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Sue Woodward AM

Commissioner
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)

Sue Woodward AM commenced as Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) on 12 December 2022. She also played an instrumental role in the formation of the ACNC, serving as the inaugural Director of Policy and Education during the early years of the Commission.

Previously Sue was Chief Adviser for Not-for-profit Law with the charity Justice Connect. She has also been involved with a number of leadership bodies and has sat on various charity boards.

As an academic, she made a seminal contribution to reform of the regulation for the charity and not-for-profit sector. Not-for-profit Law was established based on her research recommendations.

Sue is also a staunch supporter of reducing unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector. She has worked with an alliance of peak bodies and federal and state governments to make modernised and harmonised fundraising laws a priority.

Sue was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for “significant service to the not-for-profit sector, fundraising and the law.”

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

15:30

Fireside chat: Are we doing the community a disservice by raising expectations which can't be regulated?

Speaker Speakers

Dung Nguyen,

John Evangelista,

Dr Sandra Cuthbert,

Sue Woodward AM,

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Rachael Jackson

Chief Operating Officer
National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA)

Rachael is the Chief Operating Officer at the National Indigenous Australians Agency, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a certified HR practitioner and member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and holds an Executive Master of Public Administration.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

16:10

Panel discussion: Streamlining reform processes and identifying pinch points that are holding up regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Adam Slater,

Rachael Jackson,

Karen Najjar,

Marcus Brims,

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Karen Najjar

Assistant Secretary, New Vehicle Efficiency Standards Regulator
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

16:10

Panel discussion: Streamlining reform processes and identifying pinch points that are holding up regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Adam Slater,

Rachael Jackson,

Karen Najjar,

Marcus Brims,

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Marcus Brims

a/Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Regulation, Strategy and Technology
Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

16:10

Panel discussion: Streamlining reform processes and identifying pinch points that are holding up regulatory reform

Speaker Speakers

Adam Slater,

Rachael Jackson,

Karen Najjar,

Marcus Brims,

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Kerry Leaver

Consultant
Kerry Leaver Consulting

I’m a strategic advisor, regulatory specialist, and leadership coach with over 10 years’ executive experience, including serving as a Chief Executive. I've led high-stakes reform, strengthened systems and lifted performance across education, insurance and health. Having worked closely with sectors serving vulnerable communities, I’m driven to create solutions that protect and empower people.

My strength is deep systems thinking. I map the ecosystem, spot patterns and opportunities quickly, and move easily between big-picture strategy and operational delivery. This ability to read and translate the system at different levels builds trust, surfaces issues early and brings clarity and momentum to every conversation.

By combining executive project leadership skills with structured problem-solving tools, I deliver the right outcomes for your organisation within agreed timeframes and scope, even in complex environments.

Speaking at

Masterclass

09:00

Masterclass B: From posture to practice: translating regulatory intent into operational clarity

Speaker Speakers

Kerry Leaver,

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Quest has an established history of providing reliable, high quality conferences for the climate sector. Regulatory Reform in Practice Summit 2026 is an opportunity for our thousands of past delegates and new attendees to come together in one place to Meet. Learn. Grow.

Quest Events recognises the First Peoples of this nation and their ongoing connection to culture and country. We acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Lore Keepers of the world's oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.